Nairobi, Kenya – The High Court in Nairobi has temporarily suspended key aspects of a Kenya–United States agreement on Ebola quarantine and treatment facilities, halting plans to admit Ebola-exposed or infected individuals into the country pending further hearings.
The Milimani High Court issued the conservatory orders following an urgent petition filed by the Katiba Institute, a constitutional and human rights organisation, which challenged the legality and transparency of the arrangement.
The court directed that no Ebola quarantine, isolation, or treatment facility linked to foreign governments be established or operationalised in Kenya until the matter is fully heard and determined.
It further restrained the Kenyan government from allowing the entry or transfer of Ebola-exposed or infected persons—primarily American nationals under the proposed arrangement—into the country.
The petitioners argued that Kenya currently has no active Ebola cases and lacks Level 4 biocontainment facilities required to safely manage high-risk infectious diseases such as Ebola. They also raised concerns over public participation, national sovereignty, and alleged lack of parliamentary oversight in approving the deal.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has also backed the legal challenge, reinforcing concerns about biosafety risks and transparency in the agreement.
The suspended arrangement, approved by the Kenyan government on May 28, 2026, would have allowed the United States to establish a 50-bed Ebola quarantine and treatment facility at Laikipia Air Force Base, intended mainly for American citizens exposed to an ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The U.S. had defended the plan as a safer alternative to long-distance medical evacuations, while Kenyan authorities maintained that all international health cooperation would comply with domestic laws and biosafety standards.
The decision sparked widespread debate among medical professionals, civil society groups, and former judicial officials, who questioned the selection of Kenya as a host location and demanded greater transparency.
The case has been certified as urgent, with full hearing dates expected to be set in the coming days. No Ebola patients have been brought into Kenya under the suspended arrangement.
The ruling highlights growing public sensitivity over biosecurity, sovereignty, and foreign medical infrastructure agreements amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
